Gaya, March 19: A 15-member delegation from Gaya met Union human resource development (HRD) minister Kapil Sibal in Delhi today and extended support to the former’s proposal of setting the Central University of Bihar (CUB) in the Buddhist city.

The delegation handed over a 10-point memorandum explaining why the varsity should come up at Gaya and not Motihari.

Former legislator and Bihar Educational Development Society president Jai Kumar Palit, who led the delegation, told The Telegraph over telephone from New Delhi that the minister gave the team a patient hearing. “He spoke to us for nearly 30 minutes and showed positive sign to set up CUB in Gaya,” Palit said.

“The 10-point memorandum presented to the minister stresses that Gaya is the right site for CUB because of availability of infrastructure, academic, political and tourism importance,” Vijay Kumar Mithu, another member of the delegation, told The Telegraph over telephone from the national capital.

Sibal told the delegation the process of acquisition of 960 acres on Gaya-Goh Road near Panchanpur (presently in possession of the defence ministry) has to be completed.

The delegation requested the HRD minister to lay the foundation stone for the construction of the CUB building after the ongoing Parliament session is over. Chief minister Nitish Kumar has expressed strong resistance over setting up CUB in Gaya. The government has maintained that since the land was taken over by the state and handed over to defence ministry in World War II, it should be given back to the Bihar government.

“I cannot comment on what the delegation told the Union minister. But the state government has not changed its stance like the Union minister has. We stick to our demand that the CUB should be set up in Motihari,” said education minister P.K. Shahi.